Mike Okonkwo National Essay Competition: Three Female Students Mop Up Prizes

By Adufe Azeez

Three secondary school students have emerged winners of the 2025 Mike Okonkwo National Essay Competition, an annual contest for secondary school students across Nigeria.

15-year-old Davina Phillips of Bloombreeds School, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, took first place. Sixteen-year-old Emmanuella Onizi of Babcock High School, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, came second, while 15-year-old Maryam Ilyas of Isawo Comprehensive High School, Wisdom Island, Ikorodu, Lagos, placed third.

The annual competition, now in its 20th year, is aimed at encouraging critical thinking among young Nigerians by engaging them in national issues.

This year’s theme was “The Nigeria of Our Dreams: Today’s Reality and a Responsible Pathfinder”. Entries were accepted from March to June, with students required to submit original essays of no more than 1,200 words.

According to the Chief Examiner, Akachi Ezeigbo, a professor, the selection process involved two stages. The best five essays from the initial submissions were shortlisted for a physical second round on a different topic, allowing the judges to assess the students in a more controlled environment.

Winners in this year’s edition will be presented with their prizes at the Mike Okonkwo Annual Lecture in Lagos on 4 September. The winner will receive N1 million and a laptop, with her school getting a set of computers. The second place will get N500,000 and a laptop, along with a computer set for her school, while third place will receive N400,000 and a laptop, with a computer set also awarded to her school. Other finalists will each receive N50,000.

2025 competition

Mr Ezeigbo noted that Miss Phillips, who was fourth in the first round with a score of 70 per cent, moved to the top position after scoring 80 per cent in the second round, giving her a final tally of 75 per cent.

Miss Onizi scored 75 per cent in the first round and 61 per cent in the second, finishing with an overall 68 per cent, while Miss Ilyas scored 71 per cent in the first round and 61 per cent in the second, ending with 66 per cent.

She said the 2025 edition reflected a good grasp of the issues at hand among participants. She, however, noted recurring challenges, including copying from peers, textbooks, and internet sources.

She also observed the use of artificial intelligence in generating parts of some essays.

“As usual a substantial number revealed evidence of collaboration with peers and copying from internet, text books and other sources. It was easy to reach this conclusion because the imprints of sources were uncreatively left behind in the bodies of the essays submitted.

“Similarly, we noticed the use of Artificial Intelligence in the generation of much of the content examined. This shows that our students are doing well by consulting sources that have become inevitable in knowledge generation and transmission.

“However, teachers must let them know how to use material creatively and intelligently for the purposes of verification and validation,” she said.

The competition typically attracts entries from both private and public schools nationwide.

In 2024, 551 entries were received, but 341 were disqualified for various infractions. Last year’s winner was Flourish Olaoye of Christ the King International School, Gbagada, Lagos, followed by Nora Femi-Lawal of Chrisland High School, Lekki, and Olayimika Durotimi of Corona Secondary School, Agbara.

The competition’s organisers say it has, over the years, sparked greater interest in research, reading, and constructive writing among participating students, as well as contributed to the spread of ICT facilities in schools.